WPXZ-FM
Encyclopedia
WPXZ-FM is a commercial FM
radio station
licensed to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
, known as the "Weather Capital of the World". The station operates at a federally-assigned frequency of 104.1 MHz and an effective radiated power
of 3,000 Watts. WPXZ, and its co-located WECZ
-AM and WKQL-FM sister stations, are all owned by Pittsburgh-based Renda Broadcasting Corporation.
While WPXZ-AM became WECZ and adopted its own new format of MOR and nostalgia music, WPXZ continued to operate under its longtime format of soft adult contemporary music. The station had a full-service feel to it, as it offered ABC national news, high school sports, Pittsburgh Pirates baseball (the day games were on WECZ and the night games on WPXZ), and other local themed programming.
For a period of about fifteen years, WPXZ also operated a second studio and office location in downtown Brookville
, the seat of government for Jefferson County, which did not have a local station of its own at the time. This office was closed in the mid-1990s.
It was also the proving ground for young and upcoming radio talent. Alan Freed (is his real name, but not the legendary DJ who coined "rock and roll") explained to 440.com..."We were only on the air from 6am to midnight, so the first person on the air in the morning had to cross his fingers & hope that the transmitter (known to us as "Eileen" — as in "Come on Eileen
") would actually start when we fired it up.
I came in to do my Sunday morning shift (I was the lucky 16 year old who ran the God Squad tapes at the time), and the transmitter wouldn't start."
It went downhill from there, according to Freed. "I drove up to the transmitter building to try a trick that the PD
had taught me. "Slam the door of the transmitter if it doesn't start," he told me. I interpreted this to mean, "Slam the door of the shack that housed the transmitter." This made no sense to me, but I tried it. I slammed the door on the shack repeatedly with no luck. I got angry & decided to try a bit more unorthodox method."
The more unorthodox method Freed mentioned turned out to be an understatement, to say the least. "I decided to ram my car into the building to see if that would make it go (what the heck, it wasn't exactly a Porsche!) Needless to say, this didn't help either. It wasn't until later that I learned that there was a metal door on the transmitter itself that you could slam to get it to start (this method actually worked most of the time!) The car died years ago, but the building is still doing fine, thank you very much." Freed today owns a web-based company in Pittsburgh, where he has lived for the past two decades with his wife and daughter.
Superior Court granted Davis' appeal in September 1993, with a subsequent motion being filed to quash the appeal. In February 1994, the Superior Court ruled to affirm the ruling in Jefferson County Common Pleas Court. Another appeal to the Superior Court was filed in October 2001, more than a decade after Curry's death. Again, the Superior Court affirmed the lower court sentence. As of December 2008, Davis' most recent request for sanctions has been denied. http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/docketsheets/CPReport.aspx?matterID=7177739
In a 2004 management change, WPXZ moved to more CHR-based adult contemporary format in an effort to hip up WPXZ's stodgy image of tired music. The change also resulted in scaling back the station's news content, which did not go over well with listeners.
The station features local newscasts every day with News Director Josh Widdowson in the mornings and at 12 Noon and 5:00 on the weekdays and Saturday Mornings. Josh is also the host of The WPXZ Morning Show Monday-Friday. WPXZ participates in a news exchange agreement with CBS
affiliate WTAJ-TV in Altoona, which also provides audio weather forecasts for WPXZ.
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
licensed to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
Punxsutawney is a borough in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, United States, northeast of Pittsburgh. In 1907, Punxsutawney and Claysville boroughs were consolidated and incorporated as Greater Punxsutawney. A high-grade soft coal was mined in the surrounding region...
, known as the "Weather Capital of the World". The station operates at a federally-assigned frequency of 104.1 MHz and an effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
of 3,000 Watts. WPXZ, and its co-located WECZ
WECZ
WECZ is an American commercially licensed daytime-only radio station, licensed to served the community of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The station operates at 1,540 kilohertz with a maximum power output of 5,000 watts daytime, and 1,000 watts during critical hours...
-AM and WKQL-FM sister stations, are all owned by Pittsburgh-based Renda Broadcasting Corporation.
WPME-FM Punxsutawney, a "shadow" of its AM sister
WPXZ originally signed on the air at 105.5 MHz as WPME-FM and as a simulcast of its daytime-only AM sister, which bore the same call letters until an ownership change in 1981, when both stations switched their call letters to WPXZ, to more accurately reflect its mission as a service to Punxsutawney. Both stations continued to simulcast one another until 1989, when management decided to split both stations in response to the growing number of vehicles equipped with FM radios, as well as an effort to increase revenue.For a period of about fifteen years, WPXZ also operated a second studio and office location in downtown Brookville
Brookville, Pennsylvania
Brookville is a borough in Jefferson County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. 2,472 people lived in Brookville in 1900, and 3,003 people lived there in 1910. The population was 4,230 at the 2000 census...
, the seat of government for Jefferson County, which did not have a local station of its own at the time. This office was closed in the mid-1990s.
It was also the proving ground for young and upcoming radio talent. Alan Freed (is his real name, but not the legendary DJ who coined "rock and roll") explained to 440.com..."We were only on the air from 6am to midnight, so the first person on the air in the morning had to cross his fingers & hope that the transmitter (known to us as "Eileen" — as in "Come on Eileen
Come on Eileen
"Come On Eileen" was a single released by Dexys Midnight Runners in 1982. The song was written by Kevin Rowland, "Big" Jim Paterson, and Billy Adams; it was produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. It also appeared on the album Too-Rye-Ay...
") would actually start when we fired it up.
I came in to do my Sunday morning shift (I was the lucky 16 year old who ran the God Squad tapes at the time), and the transmitter wouldn't start."
It went downhill from there, according to Freed. "I drove up to the transmitter building to try a trick that the PD
PD
-Political parties:*Democratic Party of Albania *Democratic Party *Democratic Liberal Party *Democratic Party...
had taught me. "Slam the door of the transmitter if it doesn't start," he told me. I interpreted this to mean, "Slam the door of the shack that housed the transmitter." This made no sense to me, but I tried it. I slammed the door on the shack repeatedly with no luck. I got angry & decided to try a bit more unorthodox method."
The more unorthodox method Freed mentioned turned out to be an understatement, to say the least. "I decided to ram my car into the building to see if that would make it go (what the heck, it wasn't exactly a Porsche!) Needless to say, this didn't help either. It wasn't until later that I learned that there was a metal door on the transmitter itself that you could slam to get it to start (this method actually worked most of the time!) The car died years ago, but the building is still doing fine, thank you very much." Freed today owns a web-based company in Pittsburgh, where he has lived for the past two decades with his wife and daughter.
Tragedy strikes: WPXZ newsman murdered
In the summer of 1991, and in a tragic story that made world news headlines, WECZ/WPXZ news director Robert L. Curry was murdered in his home by a known intruder. The accused murderer who broke into the house and fatally shot Curry turned out to be the ex-boyfriend of his teenage daughter. The man is now serving a life prison sentence without parole for the crime. Curry had been employed at the station since 1962, while he was still in high school and before the FM went on the air. The following is a text from the September 20, 1992 Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's archives:Verdict: Davis guilty...appeals process begins
Because of the intense publicity surrounding this trial, jurors were sequestered for the duration of the 10-day trial. On October 1, 1992, jurors delivered a verdict of guilty on the following charges...second-degree murder, unlawful restraint, and making terroristic threats. Though prosecutors had sought the death penalty, the second-degree murder charge yielded Davis a life prison sentence. In November 1992, attorneys for Davis filed a motion for reconsideration, which was denied. Davis' attorneys filed an appeal the following month with Pennsylvania's Superior Court.Superior Court granted Davis' appeal in September 1993, with a subsequent motion being filed to quash the appeal. In February 1994, the Superior Court ruled to affirm the ruling in Jefferson County Common Pleas Court. Another appeal to the Superior Court was filed in October 2001, more than a decade after Curry's death. Again, the Superior Court affirmed the lower court sentence. As of December 2008, Davis' most recent request for sanctions has been denied. http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/docketsheets/CPReport.aspx?matterID=7177739
WKQL: another station joins the fray
In 1996, Renda received permission to put another FM station on the air. In order for the new station to go on the air, many existing FM stations would have to shuffle their frequencies in order to fit the channel in its assigned community of Brookville, some 15 miles away from Punxsutawney. One of the affected stations was WPXZ. Renda gave up the 105.5 frequency for WPXZ to move to 104.1. The new Brookville station debuted in 2000 under an oldies format, the call letters WBEU (later changed to WYTR and then WMUV for a week, and finally WKQL as of October 2006) and the moniker "Kool 103.3."In a 2004 management change, WPXZ moved to more CHR-based adult contemporary format in an effort to hip up WPXZ's stodgy image of tired music. The change also resulted in scaling back the station's news content, which did not go over well with listeners.
WPXZ today
In April 2005, WPXZ underwent management changes at the administrative, programming and sales levels. Increased efforts at local news and sports, as well as community-oriented events, resulted in a very successful turnaround for all three stations. The music also shifted from a CHR-based AC to an 1980s oldies based AC, which improved listenership.The station features local newscasts every day with News Director Josh Widdowson in the mornings and at 12 Noon and 5:00 on the weekdays and Saturday Mornings. Josh is also the host of The WPXZ Morning Show Monday-Friday. WPXZ participates in a news exchange agreement with CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate WTAJ-TV in Altoona, which also provides audio weather forecasts for WPXZ.